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Cranium Rat Tiny Beast, Lawful Evil Hero Forge Mini Kitbashed, single mini, 1 variant below (from Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016): Mind flayers create cranium rats by bombarding normal rats with psionic energy. Evil Collectives. Cranium rats are no smarter than ordinary rats and behave as such. However, if enough cranium rats come together to form a swarm, they merge their minds into a single intelligence with the accumulated memories of all the swarm’s constituents. The rats become smarter as a result, and they retain their heightened intelligence for as long as the swarm persists. The swarm also awakens latent psionic abilities implanted within each cranium rat by its mind flayer creators, bestowing upon the swarm psionic powers similar to spells. A rat separated from the swarm becomes an ordinary cranium rat with an Intelligence of 15. It loses 1 point of Intelligence each day that it remains separated from the swarm. Its Intelligence can’t drop below 4 and becomes 15 again if it rejoins the swarm or another one. Telepathic Vermin. A single, low-intelligence cranium rat uses its natural telepathy to communicate hunger, fear, and other base emotions. A swarm of cranium rats communicating telepathically “speaks” as one creature, often referring to itself using the collective pronouns “we” and “us.” Spies for an Elder Brain. Mind flayer colonies use cranium rats as spies. The rats invade surface communities and act as eyes and ears for the elder brain , transmitting their thoughts when they swarm and are within range of the elder brain’s telepathy. Cranium rats occasionally spread beyond the elder brain’s range of influence. Whatever these rats do is of no concern to the elder brain, and the illithids can always make more if they so desire. (from Planescape: Morte's Planar Parade - 2023): The cranium rats squeakers of Sigil have no connection to the mind flayers that created their progenitors. Rather, these magical rodents cooperate with the residents of the City of Doors, whether by simply living together or by pursuing greater ambitions. When squeakers collect in large numbers, their swarms merge into a single intelligence with enhanced psionic abilities and the accumulated memories of its constituents. (from Planescape Monstrous Supplement - 1994) The following passage is taken from the dreams of Bilfar the Diviner, who believed that secrets fled their sleeping masters every night: “A small, crawling form itched into the back of my brain, and I dreamed of its words. My dreams had caught the secrets of one called vishkar, and it said: “Fear me. Fear my coming. What others know of me is a mask that hides my true might. They think I am vermin, those rats whose brains pulsate with bilious light. They do not know I see through the thousand eyes of my body. My body lives among them, and they do not see me. “Upon waking I had the image of the cranium rat, commonly seen in the dark corners of pestilent villages, locked into my mind. But my dream was this creature, and yet it was not. Perhaps I will dream it again.” Indeed he did dream it again, but Bilfar never lived to publish his stolen secrets. A month after he penned these words, he was dead. Perhaps his dresms caught another, darker secret, for his servant found him one morning, bled dry from a hundred tiny wounds. Combat: While dangerous and unpleasant, the cranium rat is not an aggressive creature. Like most vermin, it avoids open attacks in favor of flight or ambushes. Indeed, in the latter action the cranium rat shows a cunning skill. Cranium rats usually move in packs of ten or more. They hide in garbage or the crack of a wall until a victim ventures close and then swarm out and strike, but even then they won’t fight for long. If the victim cannot be slain or crippled in a just a few rounds, they break off and scatter in all directions, making pursuit almost impossible. Still, these actions are no different than those of most other vermin, and they are not what make the cranium rat truly dangerous. It is the slight mental prowess of these creatures that makes them truly menacing. Individually, these creatures are little more than clever vermin, but cranium rats are seldom encountered singly. They’re many creatures and one creature all at once, as they possess a type of group mind. A cranium rat is automatically in telepathic contact with every other such creature within 10 feet, which allows them to share not just thoughts, but also brain capacity — every five rats in contact generate 1 point of Intelligence. Thus, one to four rats have no more than animal intelligence (1 point). Add another rat and the group becomes semi-intelligent (2 points). Fifty rats in a single area have the intelligence of an average person (10), while 100 rats in close quarters would be frightening (20 Intelligence)! Theoretically there is no upper limit to the group mind, but no packs have been found with an Intelligence higher than 20 or so. Perhaps with overpopulation comes metaphysical insight, such that these creatures ascend to a higher level of existence. Or perhaps overpopulation brings about a sudden decrease in their numbers. With increasing Intelligence comes increasing powers, as shown on the table below. Entries in color apply to that level and higher. Spells can be used daily. For example, a pack with an Intelligence of 7 can use pne lst-level wizard spell each day. Intelligence: Ability: 1-6 Standard 7 1 spell level of wizard spells 8 2 spell levels of wizard spells 9 Mind blast , 1/3 rounds 10 3 spell levels of wizard spells 11 4 spell levels of wizard spells 12 Mind blast , 1/2 rounds 13 5 spell levels of wizard spells 14 6 spell levels of wizard spells 15 Mind blast , every round 16 Immune to gases 17 Immune to cold 18 10% magic resistance 19 40% magic resistance 20 70% magic resistance The group mind also confers several defensive advantages upon the creatures. First, when calculating damage from area-affecting spells, treat the Hit Dice of the communal creature as a pool. For example, casting an 8-HD firesball at a horde of 30 rats destroys just eight of them if the saving throw is failed. If the save is successful, only four (half damage) rats are destroyed. In other words, ignore the individual hit points of the rats for area effects. Second, the rats save as if they are a creature of as many Hit Dice as their Intelligence. In the example above, 30 rats have a 6 Intelligence, so the horde saves as a 6-HD creature. The communal nature of their Intelligence is also the cranium rats’ weakness. When members of a pack are killed or scattered, the Intelligence of the pack immediately drops, and the pack loses any special powers attributable to the communal mind. The communal mind, however, is highly resistant to mental attacks. A pack with an Intelligence of 5 or higher is immune to sleep spells (by virtue of its effective Hit Dice). The pack acts quickly to break its telepathic link with rats that have fallen under another creature’s control. Consequently, spells such as suggestion and charm monster affect but a single rat (although the rat gains the benefit of the pack’s saving throw). Habitat/Society: So continues Bilfar’s notes: “The vishkar’s secrets flee it at night, arriving piecemeal for my studies. Where they come from I cannot tell — there are too many images of too many places — but in all of these them is a common thread. It is a pulsing green vein that is the cord to a master who steals secrets from others. I am forced to guess that the vishkar is an agent of Ilsensine, the great god-brain of the illithids. Vishkar is the eyes and ears of its lord, gathering in all it sees and hears to please that ravenous power. A thousand eyes gather a thousand scenes all at once. “Curious, I inquired with travelers and caravan masters about the extent of the cranium rat. I myself have seen them in Sigil, and I am told they are not uncommon in the Lower Planes. “I have seen myself in my own dreams, asking and re-asking these questions. There are also dreams of packs searching me out. Are these the dreams of my mind, or secrets I have captured? Even my philosophies fail me here, but I think precautions are necessary.” Ecology: Cranium rats subsist on a diet only slightly more carnivorous than the normal rat. The extent and purpose of their powers are held closely secret, less Ilsensine’s instruments be exposed. Those who discover the true purpose of the cranium rats are under sentence of swift and terrible death. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Outer Planes, Sigil Stat Block 5th Edition: - 5eTools: Cranium Rat Squeaker , Cranium Rat Squeaker Swarm - DndBeyond: Cranium Rat Squeaker , Cranium Rat Squeaker Swarm - Planescape: Morte's Planar Parade (2023) 2nd Edition: - Mojobob's Website Abilities '- Human-level intellect - Hypnotic song casts suggestion, charms aquatic monsters and/or summons more balaena, - Ramming head and stunning tail slap attacks - Acute hearing underwater makes surprise almost imposcreasible - Resistant to bludgeoning attacks - Telepathy allows communication with all creatures, knowledge of alignment and detection of lies (50%) Appearance Cranium rats typically resemble ordinary black- or gray-furred city rats, except their exposed brains appear visible at the tops of their skulls. Both this brain and the rats' eyes are known to glow an eerie light when the rat is using psionics. Size Hero Forge: -- Lore: Tiny (medium swarm) Suggested: Tiny Other Monikers Brain vermin Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Planescape: Morte's Planar Parade (2023) - Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022) - Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) - DndBeyond: Cranium Rat Squeaker , Cranium Rat Squeaker Swarm - Planescape Campaign Monstrous Supplement (1994) - Mojobob's Website

Barghest Barghest Large Fiend, Neutral Evil Hero Forge Mini Kitbashed, mount mini, 1 variant below Description (from Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016): Long ago, the god Maglubiyet—conqueror and then lord of early goblinoids—bargained with the General of Gehenna for aid. The General provided yugoloths, which then died in service to Maglubiyet. Yet when the time came to honor his part of the compact, Maglubiyet reneged on the deal. In vengeance, the General of Gehenna created the soul-devouring barghests to devour goblinoid souls. The mission of every barghest, implanted in it by the General of Gehenna, is to consume souls. It eats these souls by devouring the bodies of those it kills, preferring goblinoids. A barghest hungers for the day when it can complete its mission, return to Gehenna, and serve the General directly in his yugoloth legions, but it doesn’t kill goblinoids indiscriminately. By devouring the souls of goblinoid leaders and other powerful individuals, a barghest earns elevated status in the afterlife. Barghests typically keep their true nature secret, preying on the occasional lone goblin when the opportunity arises, until they reach adulthood and are capable of seeking out stronger prey. A barghest avoids contact with large, open fires. Any conflagration larger than its body acts as a gateway to Gehenna and banishes it to that plane, where it is likely to be slain or enslaved by a yugoloth for its failure. (from 3.5e Monster Manual - 2003): A horrifying wolflike monster with blue-tinged fur, long sharp claws, and a fiendish glint of intelligence in its hateful, glowing eyes darts out of the shadows. A barghest is a lupine fiend that can take the shape of a wolf or a goblin. In its natural form, it resembles a goblin–wolf hybrid with terrible jaws and sharp claws. Barghests come into the world to feed on blood and souls and thus grow stronger. As whelps, barghests are nearly indistinguishable from wolves, except for their size and claws. As they grow larger and stronger, their skin darkens to bluishred and eventually becomes blue altogether. A fullgrown barghest, such as the one described here, is about 6 feet long and weighs 180 pounds. A barghest’s eyes glow orange when the creature becomes excited. Barghests speak Goblin, Worg, and Infernal. COMBAT: Barghests can claw and bite, no matter what their form, and usually disdain weapons. Though they love killing, they have little stomach for direct combat and attack from ambush whenever possible. Barghests start a combat by using crushing despair and charm monster to keep opponents off balance. They try to stay away from the enemy’s main strength. A barghest’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as evil-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Spell-Like Abilities: At will—blink, levitate, misdirection (DC 14), rage (DC 15); 1/day—charm monster (DC 16), crushing despair (DC 16), dimension door. Caster level equals the barghest’s HD. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Feed (Su): When a barghest slays a humanoid opponent, it can feed on the corpse, devouring both flesh and life force, as a full-round action. Feeding destroys the victim’s body and prevents any form of raising or resurrection that requires part of the corpse. There is a 50% chance that a wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore a devoured victim to life. Check once for each destroyed creature. If the check fails, the creature cannot be brought back to life by mortal magic. A barghest advances in Hit Dice by consuming corpses in this fashion. For every three suitable corpses a barghest devours, it gains 1 Hit Die, and its Strength, Constitution, and natural armor increase by +1. Its attack bonus and saves improve as normal for an outsider of its Hit Dice, and it gains skill points, feats, and ability score improvements normally. The barghest only advances by consuming the corpses of creatures whose Hit Dice or levels are equal to or greater than its own current total. A barghest that reaches 9 Hit Dice through feeding immediately becomes a greater barghest upon completion of the act. Change Shape (Su): A barghest can assume the shape of a goblin or a wolf as a standard action. In goblin form, a barghest cannot use its natural weapons but can wield weapons and wear armor. In wolf form, a barghest loses its claw attacks but retains its bite attack. Pass Without Trace (Ex): A barghest in wolf form can use pass without trace (as the spell) as a free action. Skills: *A barghest in wolf form gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide checks. GREATER BARGHEST: A barghest that reaches 9 Hit Dice through feeding becomes a greater barghest. These creatures can change shape into a goblinlike creature of Large size (about 8 feet tall and 400 pounds) or a dire wolf. In goblin form, a greater barghest cannot use its natural weapons but can wield weapons and wear armor. In dire wolf form, a greater barghest loses its claw attacks but retains its bite attack. A greater barghest can reach a maximum of 18 Hit Dice through feeding. Spell-Like Abilities: In addition to the spelllike abilities all barghests possess, a greater barghest gains the following abilities. At will—invisibility sphere; 1/day—mass bull’s strength, mass enlarge. Caster level equals the greater barghest’s HD. Combat : Occasionally, a greater barghest uses a magic two-handed weapon in combat instead of its claws, giving it multiple attacks (attack bonus +13/+8). It can also make one bite attack (attack bonus +8) each round. The save DC against a greater barghest’s spell-like abilities is 14 + spell level. (from Planescape: Campaign Monstrous Supplement - 1994): Of the various monsters that inhabit the rifts of the plane of Gehenna, the barghest is certainly the most common and one of the most fearsome. The barghest’s natural shape is very much the same as that of a large goblin , and when dwelling among goblins, it generally retains that form. While it appears to be a large goblin when it is a whelp, its skin darkens from yellow to a bluish-red as it grows larger and stronger, and eventually its skin turns an even blue at adulthood. The eyes of the monster glow orange when it is excited, but otherwise they are indistinguishable from those of a normal goblin. A barghest is also able to assume at will the form of a large war dog or a wild dog. Hence, the creature has oftentimes been referred to as a “devil-dog”, but this is a misnomer. The precise form taken can vary from creature to creature, but all forms are those of typical wild or war dogs, and it is almost impossible (95% unlikely) to tell one from its natural counterpart. However, natural dogs instantly recognize, fear, and hate a barghest, and they will attack it at any opportunity. Combat: Barghests employ a claw/claw attack in battle. (In canine form, they only bite.) They may only be hit by weapons of +1 or better enchantment. They are not particularly vulnerable to any attack form, but in their canine shape they risk the failure of a saving throw vs. spell when subjected to a fireball , flame strike , or meteor swarm spell: If attacked by such a spell while in canine form and a barghest fails its saving throw, it is instantly hurled to Gehenna. Those returned to the Outer Plane are most likely slain or enslaved by their full-grown fellows, but even if they are not so treated they cannot return to the Prime Material Plane without outside assistance. Barghests are able to perform the following spell-like abilities, once per round, at will: shape change (into either canine or goblinlike form), levitate , misdirection , and project image . They are able to perform the following abilities once per day: charm (person or monster), dimension door , and emotion . When in canine form, barghests are able to move at double their normal movement rate (maximum of 30), pass without a trace (as the spell), and become 75% unlikely to be noticed when motionless. If undetected, they impose a -2 penalty on opponents’ surprise rolls. Habitat/Society: These beings are native to Gehenna and tend to live in isolation on that plane. There, each barghest has its own stronghold and force of servitors, over which it rules despotically. Goblins readily recognize and worship barghests (even in their goblinoid form), but other races find them to be virtually indistinguishable from these common prime-material monsters. The goblin hosts fear and serve the barghests, often going to great lengths to bring them suitable gifts and sacrifices, and the barghests respond by slaying powerful enemies of the goblins as well as generally enriching the goblins’ treasure hoards. Occasionally, a barghest on Gehenna will spawn a litter of six young, which are immediately sent to the Prime Material Plane to feed and grow. Those that survive eventually return to Gehenna, but while they are away, they must feed upon humans and demihumans. Barghest whelps are found either alone or in pairs or the Prime Material Plane, generally living near isolatea communities of humans or with bands of goblins. When barghest whelps first come to the Prime Material, they are relatively weak, having only 6+6 Hit Dice. However, for every energy (experience) level of human (or demihuman) life that they slay or devour, 1 hit point is added to their overall total. Once they absorb eight levels, they gain another Hit Die, plus an additional hit point per die. (Hence, a 6+6 HD barghest who absorbs eight experience levels becomes a 7+7 HD barghest.) Note that 0-level characters are worth only one-half of an experience level to the barghest, so they are considerably less attractive targets than high-level heroes. In addition, each time a barghest gains a Hit Die, its Armor Class decreases by 1 and its Strength score increases from an initial 18/00 to a maximum of 24. When the barghest finally achieves full growth and power, it discovers the ability to plane shift to Gehenna, where it seeks its own reeking valley rift to lord over. What treasure barghests gather into their own strongholds in Gehenna is unknown, although it is rumored to be great. However, while they live upon the Prime Material Plane, they accumulate no personal treasure. Ecology: The barghest passes through different stages in its life. As a whelp it is a hunter and tracker consigned to the Prime Material Plane. There it grows in cunning and wisdom until it is ready to enter into the next stage of its life. At this phase it returns to Gehenna and becomes a leader. It is still a hunter, though now its tactics and attitudes are greater, to match the game — other intelligent beings — that it hunts. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Gehenna, Prime Material Plane Stat Block 5th Edition: - Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) - DndBeyond 2nd Edition: - Realmshelps.net 2nd Edition: - Mojobob's Website Abilities - Transforms into wolf-like fiend or small goblin - Eats the souls of victims - Innate Spellcasting - Immune to acid, poison - Resistant to cold, lightning, nonmagical attacks - Telepathy Appearance A horrifying wolflike monster with blue-tinged fur, long sharp claws, and a fiendish glint of intelligence in its hateful, glowing eyes darts out of the shadows. Size Hero Forge: 5'10" (XXL) Lore: Medium to Large (5-9') Suggested: Medium to Large Other Monikers None Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Volo's Guide to Monsters (2016) - DndBeyond - 3.5e Monster Manual (2003) - Planescape: Campaign Setting Monstrous Supplement (1994) - Mojobob's Website

Template - Cursed Swamp Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/VGVtcGxhdGUgLSBDdXJzZWQgU3dhbXA=/ac8779c548700ec156b8aca3f68d4a29 Features - Colossal, kaiju-sized footprints in the mud (titans); left and right foot - Muddy, root-covered terrain - Dead, dying, fallen trees (one with giant bird nest), broken stumps - Razorvine overgrowth - Small fiendish boat (shorter Styx ferry) - Mossy, slimy boulders covered in razorvine - Mossy, slimy, alien, spiky rock formations - Decayed rope bridges (straight and diagonal) - Fish and seaweed - Colossal chains reaching up into infinity Notes - Template for my Carceri - Othyris Swamp map... basically a fiendish hell dimension Board Link Template - Cursed Swamp Assets from Tales Tavern None

Gray Waste - Oinos Gray Waste - Oinos Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/R3JheSBXYXN0ZSAtIE9pbm9z/00fed24545d06f885cf2bc8f495d50e0 Board Link Features - Plane of selfish apathy, hopelessness, despair - The Gray Waste slowly leeches all color from one's clothing, equipment, and skin, until a person is entirely grey and monochrome; after that, the plane leeches a mortal's hope, compassion, and motivation, leaving them a withered shell of their former self, too depressed to even remember why they came, how to get out, or even their own name; mortals who wander aimlessly in the waste for too long undergo a horrific transformation, degenerating into fiendish larvae - mindless, slimy, man-sized maggots with disturbingly human faces; larvae are the petitioner souls of the Gray Waste, and fodder for its fiendish inhabitants - The plane is strongly evil-aligned; considered by many to be the most evil place in existence - The Gray Waste is known by most primes as "Hades," but Hades is only one of many realms of the dead residing in the wastes, including Nifelheim and Annwyn, the celtic underworld - The first gloom of the waste, known as Oinos, is a dreary plain that serves as a battle-scarred no man's land in the endless Blood War between the devils of Baator (Baatezu) and the demons of the Abyss (Tanar'ri) - Fiendish mercenary yugoloths (a.k.a. daemons) inhabit the plane, preying on the weak and selling their military services to both sides of the blood war - Night Hags wander the waste, invading the dreams of any visiting mortals and torturing them with nightmares, hastening the mortals' degeneration into larvae , which the hags then corral into great herds and sell to sentient undead as food, or to devils and demons as fodder for their blood war – The toxic river Styx crosses the waste, poisoning all creatures who touch it with permanent and catastrophic memory loss, but the Styx is also one of the only ways off the plane; daemon boatmen (known as Merrenoloths ) offer safe passage down the river, but their prices are extortive – Other native species include the endless hordlings (a.k.a. Castlevania night creatures), darkweavers , ironmaws , the shrieking diakk , the horrid Styx Dragon , and many forms of undead Notes - This map could very likely double as a map for the Shadowfell (plane of Shadow) in 4th/5th edition. - Neutral evil souls with no sense of morality (compulsive liars, heartless manipulators, treacherous bastards, etc.) end up in the Gray Waste when they die, transforming into bloated, grotesque larvae that gather in slimy swarms - Being the plane of hopelessness and despair, I designed this map as a vast, grey, largely featureless void of a landscape that stretches on and on with no change or possibility of escape. If players attempt to go beyond the map's edge, I recommend teleporting them to the opposite end, so they must traverse it from the beginning, to reinforce the plane's sense of pointlessness. - Portal (blue fire ring) can be closed with a hide volume. - A merrenoloth boatman can be found at the south end of the map at the river Styx; the boat can be removed with a hide volume. - A night hag has a small "larva ranch" at the northeast corner. Players might be led to the ranch by trails of slimy black ooze that streak across the landscape. - The corpses of dead planewalkers dot the waste, and occasionally have useful equipment, and letters of suicide - The larger, withered trees on the landscape have hanged corpses on their branches - The strange, alien black structures and formations visible on the map are inspired by concept art of the Shadowfell; narratively, I'd explain them as mysterious, inexplicable secretions of fiendish larvae, when the maggots are left to their own devices for too long Assets from Tales Tavern None

Retriever Huge Construct, Lawful Evil Hero Forge Mini Kitbashed, single mini Description (From Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes - 2018): The retriever is a potent, spider-like construct conceived and built by the drow for one original purpose — to prowl the Abyss and capture demons for the drow to enslave or use in their rituals. The automatons proved so effective and so fearsome that they now perform many different missions. Demon-Infused. Although each retriever is a metal-and-magic construct, it houses the imprisoned spirit of a bebilith. Most of the demon’s intellect has been distilled away, leaving only its cruelty and cunning. Lethal Collectors. Though they were created to operate only in the Abyss, retrievers are sometimes dispatched when a powerful drow needs some creature or object captured and brought back alive and intact. Only under the rarest of circumstances is a retriever handed over or sold to a non-drow, since the dark elves don’t want to take the chance that the construct will be turned against them. (From 3.5e Monster Manual I - 2003): This creature looks like an enormous spider, standing twice as tall as a human. Its forelegs end in massive cleavers. Four bulbous eyes, a malevolent gleam in each one, rise out of its carapace. A retriever specializes in recovering lost or desired objects, runaway slaves, and enemies and bringing them back to its master. Retrievers were created through foul sorcery to be warriors and servants to powerful demon nobles. Most scholars believe retrievers are built to resemble bebiliths. More powerful demons often use these mindless constructs to perform ugly tasks, or tasks they could not trust to their own scheming kind. A retriever has a body the size of an ox, with legs spanning more than 14 feet. It weighs about 6,500 pounds. Combat : Retrievers attack with four claws, but their eye rays are far more deadly. Eye Rays (Su): A retriever’s eyes can produce four different magical rays with a range of 100 feet. Each round, it can fire one ray as a free action. A particular ray is usable only once every 4 rounds. A retriever can fire an eye ray in the same round that it makes physical attacks. The save DC for all rays is 18. The save DC is Dexterity-based. The four eye effects are: Fire: Deals 12d6 points of fire damage to the target (Reflex half ). Cold: Deals 12d6 points of cold damage to the target (Reflex half ). Electricity: Deals 12d6 points of electricity damage to the target (Reflex half ). Petrification: The target must succeed on a Fortitude save or turn to stone permanently. Find Target (Sp): When ordered to find an item or a creature, a retriever does so unerringly, as though guided by discern location. The being giving the order must have seen (or must have an item belonging to) the creature to be found, or must have touched the object to be located. This ability is the equivalent of an 8th level spell. Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a retriever must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and grips the opponent fast in its mouth. This is the method by which it usually “retrieves” things. (From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appdendix II - 1995): Retrievers are living constructs, creatures of nightmare manufactured by the tanar’ri lords to act as their emissaries and enforcers. They are bound to obey their tanar’ri masters and relentlessly pursue their diabolical objectives until they’ve accomplished their master’s commands or died in the attempt. This streak of loyalty and determination makes retrievers especially valuable to the Abyssal Lords. Retrievers are known by that name because they’re commonly ordered to find enemies or misguided subordinates of the Abyssal Lord and bring them back to face the music. A retriever resembles a huge spider the size of an elephant , with a black, chitinous exoskeleton and six insectile eyes. The creature’s four rearmost limbs actually carry most of its weight; its front four limbs end in cleaverlike blades that aren’t used for walking. Despite the monster’s bloated appearance and hideous bulk, it’s frighteningly fast and nimble. The retriever can’t speak, but it sometimes gives voice to insidious whisperings and clickings that can’t quite be understood. Combat: Retrievers can attack with each of their cleaverlike forelimbs in a round, inflicting 3d6 points of damage with each limb. Although its mandibles and jaws are terrifying in appearance, the retriever doesn’t normally bite its opponents. Instead, it uses its mandibles to pin a victim it’s been sent to fetch. If the retriever scores hits with 2 or more of its cleavers on the same man-size victim, it can automatically restrain him in its mandibles, gripping the sod with an effective Strength of 21. Despite the retriever’s fearsome physical attacks, these aren’t its deadliest weapons. Four of the retriever’s yes are smaller than its primary ones and can unleash magical rays against its prey. Up to 2 small eyes can fire in a round, but once fired an eye must recharge for 6 rounds before it can be used again. The retriever can’t make eye attacks in the same round it uses its physical attacks. The four rays are: Eye One: 12d6 fireball , with a 5’ blast radius (30-yard range) Eye Two: 12d4+12 cold ray , one target (30-yard range) Eye Three: 12d6 lightning bolt , 5’ wide and 20 yards long Eye Four: flesh to stone , one target (30-yard range) Victims are allowed saves versus breath weapons for half damage with the fire, cold, and lightning effects. Victims of teh flesh to stone ray may attempt a saving throw versus petrification to avoid the effects; if successful, they are only slowed for 3 to 8 (1d6+2) rounds). Retrievers can be damaged by any weapon, but they regenerate damage caused by nonmagical or silver weapon at the rate of 2 hit points per round. The mere sight of a retriever causes creatures of fewer than 4 Hit Dice to make a save versus spell; if it fails, they are stricken by fear, fleeing for 2 to 12 rounds. Habitat/Society: Retrievers don’t have an existence independent of their abyssal masters. It’s extremely unusual to encounter one that isn’t following some set of orders. When a retriever doesn’t have orders to follow, it’s probably waiting near the palace or fortress of its creator for a new set of instructions. Given the chance, a retriever’ll look for ways to introduce acts of petty malice or cruelty into the execution of its instructions, but above all it exists to do what it’s told. Since retrievers are the living extensions of the will of the Abyssal Lords, they can enter any other plane at will, and have free travel throughout the Abyss. Only the most powerful and daring tanar’ri interfere with a retriever that’s engaged in the pursuit of its duty. Ecology: Retrievers are somewhat similar to golems . Their bodies are shaped from the stuff of the Abyss by a powerful tanar’ri lord and imbued with a spirit of evil to animate them. Therefore, retrievers exist outside of nature and neither eat, sleep, nor reproduce. However, spells that affect living creatures (such as charm , sleep , or enfeeblement ) affect a retriever normally. Not every Abyssal Lord has mastered the making of retrievers. It’s thought that Demogorgon was the first tanar’ri to do so, modeling the retriever’s design on the form of the bebilith , or “creeper of the Abyss”. Graz’zt and Pazrael are known to have retrievers in their service too, but it’s impossible to say if they made the creatures themselves or were given retrievers by Demogorgon in exchange for some service or bargain. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Abyss Stat Block 5th Edition: - Angry Golem Games - Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018) - DnDBeyond 3rd Edition: - Realmshelps.net 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Paralyzing Beam - Force Beam - Plane Shift - Web (spell) - Bladed forelegs - Faultless Tracker - Immune to necrotic, poison, psychic, charmed, exhaustion, frightened paralyzed, and nonmagical weapon attacks that aren't adamantine - Blightsight Appearance A retriever resembles a huge spider the size of an elephant, with a black, chitinous exoskeleton and six insectile eyes. The creature’s four rearmost limbs actually carry most of its weight; its front four limbs end in cleaverlike blades that aren’t used for walking. Size Hero Forge: 10 ft. (kitbashed) Lore: Huge (12 ft. tall) Suggested: Huge to Gargantuan Other Monikers None Sources - Angry Golem Games - Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018) - DnDBeyond - mojobob's website - v3.5 Monster Manual I (2003) - Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995)

Chaos beasts can look like anything, and do! Maybe they start with 10 heads, then no heads, then eyes with fangs. Sometimes they're smoke monsters, bubbling piles of goo and tentacles, giant moths, or you, or me, or a kitty cat. They are the culmination of all possibilities. One touch infects you with chaos phage, and you might start to lose your form, then your mind, and then you're a new chaos beast. Learn more here, and download some freaky chaos beast miniatures for use in your own game. Chaos Beast Medium Aberration, Chaotic Neutral Hero Forge Mini Alternate Versions Size Hero Forge: Varies (XL) Lore: Medium Suggested: Small to Gargantuan Abilities - Constantly changing physical form - Attacks infect with corporeal instability, madness, potential transformation into chaos beast Stat Block 5th Edition: - 5esrd.com (homebrew a bit lackluster) 3rd Edition: - Realmshelps.net 2nd Edition: - Planescape: Planes of Chaos Monstrous Supplement (1994) - Mojobob's website Home Plane Limbo Other Monikers None Appearance It is the culmination of all possibilities. Its form is the form that it was not in its yesterdays. Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - Monster Manual v3.5 (2003) - Planescape: Planes of Chaos Monstrous Supplement (1994) - Mojobob's website Description (From Planescape: Planes of Chaos Monstrous Supplement - 1994): When seen the chaos beast is... ...a towering horror of hooks and fangs, all pulpy flesh and exposed veins. It shambles forward in lurching steps, tottering unsteadily on its three legs. Its face is a shivered mirror, eyes bent and tortured, nose hooked thrice on itself. It bellows in rage, voice ringing with its own pain; ...a slithering mass of ropy tentacles, each tipped in vermillion. Ten eyes swim in a viscous sac at the top of the body, which in turn is surrounded by a ring of smacking mouths. Scores of vestigial wings flitter helplessly, unable to lift its filmy mass from the plane; ...smoothly noble, striding gracefully through the primordial soup on its six legs, maned head raised high, three eyes flashing brilliantly over the passersby. Its arms are delicate and its skin bashes with the color of the sun; ...a piteous, mewling thing, scarcely larger than a man. Its body hangs on splintered bone like fallen dough. It can barely shuffle forward on stumplike feet, wretchedly grasping the air ahead with crablike hands. Empty eyesockets pit its balding head; ...the thundering charge of a mighty creature, all muscle and fury. Claws lash and glint in the frenzy of its attack. The great alligatorlike jaw snaps menacingly as it rushes forward; ...swiftly silent and deadly, its dark fur barely visible through the rippling sea of Limbo. Broad wings carry it toward its prey, the great talons dropping beneath its slender body. Two eyes glisten with cold hate as it shrills the attack upon its prey; ...a sprawled tangle, a warmly steaming sac of gut that rolls and tumbles over the landscape like flaccid sausages tumbling down a stair. Its folds loop and drape, slipping their warm wetness around all in its way. Blind and dumb it cascades through the soup; ...a carcass flayed from the inside until all that’s left is the puffed-up shell, swollen with gases trapped inside the sealed husk. It bobs on the swells of Limbo, tangling the trailing ends of its own body with all who venture too near; ...the brilliant moth, its powdered wings etched with the stained-glass colors of sanctuaries. Its body is plump with feasting. The compound eyes sparkle with a thousand jewels as it scans the land for prey; ...the person to the left. When encountered, the chaos beast may encompass any or all of these forms. It is the culmination of all possibilities. Its form is the form that it was not in its yesterdays. Combat : How many different attacks can a creature capable of any form have? In this case, only two. For all its fearsome appearances, whether it has claws, fangs, pincers, tentacles, or spines, the chaos beast does little physical harm with its horrid limbs. Regardless of form, the creature seems unable to manage more than two attacks per round. Its continual transmutations may prevent the creature from acquiring the coordination needed to do more than this — or it may just be too dim. The physical damage caused by these attacks is slight (only 1d3 points of harm), again regardless of form. Those struck by the beast describe blows from even the most fearsome-looking claws as “limp and yielding, like a half-filled waterskin”. The buffet stings and bruises but is not an attack doughty adventures fear. But bloods fear the chaos beast, because they know what it can really do. The monster has a far more subtle and delicious terror in its arsenal. A touch of the creature’s body is sufficient to trigger a horrible magical transformation in any victim — corporeal instability, a dread and uncontrollable shifting of form and substance. This threat of instability only comes into effect when the exposed flesh of chaos beast and victim meet. Thus, a hero can use his sword to slice a tentacle from the beast and have little risk of being affected, but should he punch the creature with his fist, he risks dire consequences. When a character’s flesh contacts that of a chaos beast, the character must make a saving throw vs. death magic to avoid corporeal instability. If the character is protected by armor or clothing, the saving throw must still be made, although he or she gains +4 to the die roll. Evcn attacking with a melee weapon is a slight risk, though in this case the character gains a +6 to the saving throw. Clearly, the best method for dealing with a chaos beast is from a distance. Corporeal instability is a terrifying magical effect. Those affected are suddenly stricken by a soft sponginess as their physical bodies suddenly lose all sense of form. Unless controlled through act of will, as if his own body were part of Limbo, the character’s shape melts, flows, writhes, and boils. The consequences are grim. Suddenly the character is unable to hold any item; his hands have no grip. Clothing, armor, rings, helmets, backpacks are all useless as his body bulges and ripples. Large constricting items — armor, backpacks, even shirts — hamper more than help, reducing the character’s Dexterity by 4 points. As feet and legs go soft or become impossible shapes, movement is reduced to 3. Shearing pain courses along the nerves, so strong that the character cannot act coherently. No spells can be cast, magical items are unusable, and any attacks are made blindly, unable to distinguish friend from foe (-4 penalty to THAC0). Although corporeal instability causes no physical damage, the psychic harm is tremendous. Every round until the victim gains control over his body, he must save vs. death magic. Those who succeed have the mental strength to resist the horror; those who fail lose 1 point of Wisdom. Those who lose all Wisdom become mindless, bodiless horrors of the plane. Even if the character manages to retain his form once stricken by corporal instability, he (or others) must be forever watchful. His own body has betrayed him. If not maintained in its current form (like any other part of Limbo) the character immediately begins to change. Note that another can provide the needed stability, allowing the afflicted character to sleep. Corporeal instability is not a normal disease and so is hard to cure. A compulsive order, shapechange, or stoneskin spell does not cure the disease, but fixes the character in his native form (without other effects) for the duration of the spell. A heal, limited wish, or stabilize spell cures an afflicted character and restores lost Wisdom. The condition is immune to cure disease. Habitat/Society: Chaos beasts are strictly solitary creatures, which can only be a blessing for others. They change constantly and from day to day, so postulations about sex, family habits, or other considerations are pointless. They do not seem to guard a particular territory, moving throughout the plane of Limbo as randomly as the wind. They stay clear of stabilized lands, especially those held by strong anarchs. Most chaos beasts are found in the wild churn between the islands of order. A currently popular theory asserts that those stricken by the chaos beasts eventually become like creatures. Supposedly, those stricken mad by the creatures wander the plane until their own madness and horror reaches cyclopean heights within themselves. It is only then that the victim becomes the beast, able to pass on instability with a single touch. Ecology : The flesh of the chaos beast loses all power within moments of the creature’s death (or separation from the greater body). While no one has yet found a use for this protoplasm, there are wizards seeking to use it as a powerful extract for shape change potions. (From 3.5e Monster Manual I - 2003): Foul and terrible, the creature before you has no set form. It constantly melts and reforms, apparently drawing each shape from every nightmare that has ever plagued humankind. It chaotically shifts through a dozen monstrous forms before shaping itself into a bulbous thing with ten eyes swimming in a viscous sac at the top of a body that’s surrounded by a ring of smacking mouths. The horrific creatures known as chaos beasts have mutable, ever-changing forms. Their deadly touch can make opponents melt into formless goo. There’s no telling what a chaos beast will look like. One moment it might be a towering horror of hooks and fangs, all pulpy flesh and exposed veins, and the next a slithering mass of ropy, vermilion-tipped tentacles. Then it become a mighty creature, all muscle and fury A chaos beast’s dimensions vary, but it always weighs about 200 pounds. Chaos beasts do not speak. Combat : How many different attacks can a creature capable of any form have? In this case, only two. For all its fearsome appearances, whether it has claws, fangs, pincers, tentacles, or spines, a chaos beast does little physical harm. Regardless of form, the creature seems unable to manage more than two attacks per round. Its continual transmutations prevent the coordination needed to do more. A chaos beast’s claw attacks, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Corporeal Instability (Su): A blow from a chaos beast against a living creature can cause a terrible transformation. The creature must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become a spongy, amorphous mass. Unless the victim manages to control the effect (see below), its shape melts, flows, writhes, and boils. The save DC is Constitution-based. An affected creature is unable to hold or use any item. Clothing, armor, rings, and helmets become useless. Large items worn or carried—armor, backpacks, even shirts—hamper more than help, reducing the victim’s Dexterity score by 4. Soft or misshapen feet and legs reduce speed to 10 feet or one-quarter normal, whichever is less. Searing pain courses along the nerves, so strong that the victim cannot act coherently. The victim cannot cast spells or use magic items, and it attacks blindly, unable to distinguish friend from foe (–4 penalty on attack rolls and a 50% miss chance, regardless of the attack roll). Each round the victim spends in an amorphous state causes 1 point of Wisdom drain from mental shock. If the victim’s Wisdom score falls to 0, it becomes a chaos beast. A victim can regain its own shape by taking a standard action to attempt a DC 15 Charisma check (this check DC does not vary for a chaos beast with different Hit Dice or ability scores). A success reestablishes the creature’s normal form for 1 minute. On a failure, the victim can still repeat this check each round until successful. Corporeal instability is not a disease or a curse and so is hard to remove. A shapechange or stoneskin spell does not cure an afflicted creature but fixes its form for the duration of the spell. A restoration, heal, or greater restoration spell removes the affliction (a separate restoration is necessary to restore any drained points of Wisdom). Immunity to Transformation (Ex): No mortal magic can permanently affect or fix a chaos beast’s form. Effects such as polymorphing or petrification force the creature into a new shape, but at the start of its next turn it immediately returns to its mutable form as a free action.

Ratatosk Medium Humanoid, Chaotic Good Hero Forge Mini Single mini, no kitbash Description (From Planescape: Planes of Chaos Monstrous Supplement - 1994): Ratatosk are tree-dwtlling gliders, able to leap wide chasms from branch to branch of Yggdrasil with sure-fooled ease. Ratatosk serve the World Ash as a sort of messenger system, but they are also very antagonistic to anything they feel doesn’t belong in their home tree, such as most planars, especially tieflings , dwarves , and githzerai . They tolerate elves , most Ysgardians, and bariaur , though only just. The ratatosk steal the goods left for the spirits and the gods, and have little regard for anyone or anything but themselves. If properly bribed, they carry messages to or from any plane connected by Yggdrasil. These bribes usually take the form of the enormous, sterile seed pods of Yggdrasil. Ratatosk look like humanoid flying squirrels , with furry membranes between their arms and legs and a large, flattened tail that they use to direct their gliding. They wear no clothing other than harnesses for gear and protective hats. Their fur is thick enough to keep them comfortable in all but the coldest winter freezes. Their color varies from black to gray to brown to red, though each pack has almost entirely the same coloring. Thelr tails are uniformly darker than the rest of their fur, usually matching the bark or the nears trees. Ratatosk speak their own language, the language of birds , and the Ysgardian common tongue. Combat: Ratatosk are panicky fighters, more willing to attack en masse than risk single combat. They are careless of their own lives, but they lash out violently when their children are threatened. Even then, their strength comes from panic rather than bloodlust. Their sharp claws strike for 1d4 points of damage each. When they are forced to fight, ratatosk prefer to swoop out of a tall tree’s branches to attack. From the dive, they strike with their clawed hands and feet for double damage, then climb up Yggdrasil to dive again. All ratatosk are excellent cursers, and their insults act as a taunt spell on any opponent who fails a saving throw versus spell. This ability is partly magical, and the ratatosk need not be able to speak the language of their target for their taunts to be effective. However, only creatures of low intelligence or greater are affected. Many groups of ratatosk have adopted iron weapons as well as their natural claws, but these are all imported or stolen, since the ratatosk have no skill at forgecraft. In any given group, 30% of the ratatosk are unarmed, 20% have slings, 5% have staff slings, 10% carry spears, 20% carry hand axes, and 15% carry whatever weapons they have scavenged, such as swords, axes, polearms, and bows. The ratatosk steal or loot more weapons whenever they can. While gliding, ratatosk can twist and dodge quickly enough to avoid missiles fired at them. A ratatosk can avoid a missile that would normally hit by rolling its current hit points or less on 1d20. This also applies to magical missiles that require an attack roll, such as Melf’s acid arrow or minute meteors . Habitat/Society: Each pack has a ruling male and female who are the absolute rulers of the pack, a mated pair called the fireholders. The fireholders have 3 Hit Die and do 1d6 points of claw damage, but are otherwise identical to their followers. Any pack member can challenge the rulers, but those who lose a challenge are exiled or reduced to the lowest rung of the pack’s social ladder. The two leaders are the only ratatosk who mate and bear litter; all other pack mumblers are prevented from mating by the pack leaders. The only exceptions are the priests of Yggdrasil, who can reach 7th-level of ability and gain 1 additional Hit Die after reaching 5th level. Only 1 in 4 packs has a priest, but those that do always ask the priests for their counsel in any major decision. The reaction of ratatosk packs to outsiders varies widely. Some packs are tricksters, others are very solemn — their personality is dependent on their leaders. All the ratatosk strive to be like their pack leaders, imitating their habits and behavior. Some pack leaders imitate powerful creatures that they meet, admire, and then “adopt”, and the poor adoptive parent is followed around for weeks or months by dozens of bright-eyed ratatosk that do whatever he does. Ratatosk use fire sparingly, with only a single firepot held by the two leaders. Most food is eaten cold, and fire is used for light at night and for heat in winter. They fear the effects of fire on Yggdrasil and discourage others who use it. For them, burning Yggdrasil’s wood is a sacred act, and others who casually toss a few logs on the fire often wake up to find their mounts are loose, their food is scattered, and their tent has collapsed around them. When the young males reach their full growth they are thrown out of the pack to survive on their own. They must steal brides away from an established pack to start their own group. Those that fail must join as lesser members with little status, never to become leaders. Young females are never thrown out of the pack and are protected by all other members of the pack, who know that she is the target of raiders. Yggdrasil itself is the god of all ratatosk, and they fight to the death to protect her (in their eyes, Yggdrasil is a female tree). The legends of the ratatosk say that they were hatched from a huge nut at the top of the tree, and that they are therefore both the children and the chosen — the protectors or Yggdrasil. It’s useless to argue this point with the creatures: no story of Nidhogg or the eagles of Yggdrasil will convince them that the tree doesn’t love them best, and arguments about their origins can quickly lead to bloodshed. Whether Yggdrasil wants them to protect her doesn’t seem to be a question that occurs to them. The ratatosk can’t seem to decide on where they like to live. A few packs of ratatosk are wanderers, nomads that range Yggdrasil from roots to crown. Each night, they weave tree nests from branches and leaves, as a way to avoid unwanted guests. The nests are built to just hold their weight, so that heavier creatures cannot reach them. When cold weather threatens, these ratatosk often migrate to Arborea for its mild winters. Most ratatosk live in small lairs gnawed out of the wood of the World Ash or other impressively gigantic trees. Each burrow is large enough for a single adult and one young ratatosk. The entrance is sealed with the ratatosk’s own tail when it is sleeping, simply but effectively camouflaging the entryway. If the pack grows large enough, these small burrows are expanded, but most packs are dispersed or kept small by predators and famine. A few tribes of ratatosk live in large hollows and dens dug deep into the tree’s living wood. In winter, the settlements are hibernation dens, small hollows that can hold the entire pack in tightly curled, dreamless slumber. Nearby, the ratatosk always hoard winter food in dozens of specially prepared nut storage caches. The ratatosk love riddles and sometimes tease and taunt Yggdrasil’s travelers with them until the squirrel-folk get an answer. Some bloods have even gained the respect and aid of the ratatosk with riddles of their own. The following are a few of the more common ratatosk riddles: Falling to earth, rising to the sky, Before I fall again, years must go by. [A nut.] Shivering but fearing flame, Wanting sun but needing rain. [A leaf.] Never an acorn, Taller than stars, His fingers hold us, Our fingers hold him. [Yggdrasil.] Ever moving under trees, Startled by the slightest breeze, We need the sun to join our play, And hide ourselves on rainy days. [Shadows in the forest.] Ecology: Ratatosk eat nuts, roots, berries, fruits, insects, growing bark, and tender leaves. They also eat the eggs of the eagles nesting in Yggdrasil’s branches — one or the few foods they bother to cook. In the spring, they eat the young shoots and branches that Yggdrasil offers. A few groups of ratatosk have moved along Yggdrasil’s branches into the largest and most ancient woodlands of Arborea and Ysgard, where they are prey for giant eagles , giant wolves , giant owls and giants, who don’t seem to realize that the squirrel-folk are sentient creatures and spit them like rabbits. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Arborea, Ysgard (Yggdrasil), sylvan woodlands Stat Block 5th Edition: - 5eSRD.com (homebrew) - 5eSRD.com (warlord homebrew) 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Magical taunt - Diving claw attacks do double damage - Some proficient with simple weapons - Skilled climbers - Flight (downwards) with gliding wings - Uncanny dodge of missiles Appearance Ratatosk look like humanoid flying squirrels, with furry membranes between their arms and legs and a large, flattened tail that they use to direct their gliding. They wear no clothing other than harnesses for gear and protective hats. Their fur is thick enough to keep them comfortable in all but the coldest winter freezes. Their color varies from black to gray to brown to red, though each pack has almost entirely the same coloring. Thelr tails are uniformly darker than the rest of their fur, usually matching the bark or the nears trees. Size Hero Forge: 4 ft. (no kitbash) Lore: Small to Medium (4-5' tall) Suggested: Small to Medium Other Monikers Squirrel Folk Sources - Forgotten Realms Wiki - AJ Pickett (youtube video) - 5eSRD.com (homebrew) - Planescape: Planes of Chaos Monstrous Supplement (1994) - mojobob's website

Lady’s Maze - Clockwork Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/TGFkeSdzIE1hemUgLSBDbG9ja3dvcms=/cda0fa594af164aafccf09998258a032 Features - 5 mathematical questions, the wrong answers lead you in a circle - Player must walk up walls, defying gravity, to progress Notes - Maze for artificer player, attacked him with a giant, psychotic versions of his own inventions - Mechanical maze briefly disintegrates into the chaos soup of limbo, where the player’s lost his closest friend long ago - Fair warning: this board is very heavy on performance… and at least one of the math problems is incorrect! Not my strong suit. :D Board Link Lady’s Maze - Clockwork Assets from Tales Tavern None

Pandemonium - Pandesmos Tunnels Author(s) Matt-GM talespire://published-board/UGFuZGVtb25pdW0gLSBQYW5kZXNtb3MgVHVubmVscw==/79a63e754d675cb2ee3e128169601c37 Features - The Plane of Madness, strongly chaotic and mildly evil-aligned - The entire plane is a maze of pitch-black, claustrophobic tunnels and caverns that twist in on themselves - The tunnels are constantly blasted with howling winds, sometimes as strong as the gales of a hurricane - The winds are maddening, carrying the screams of Pandemonium's inhabitants through every tunnel and corner of the plane; creatures exposed overlong to the noise slowly go insane - The wind is blinding and deafening; flying grains of sand and dirt sting the eyes; speech can only be heard at screaming volume - Torches and nonmagical fires are immediately extinguished by the gales, and spellcasting with verbal components is very difficult - There is no "up" in Pandemonium; gravity is relative to whatever twisting surface one treads on; a person can walk on any wall or cavern roof, and never really knows whether they're traveling up or down - Most creatures avoid Pandemonium at all costs, and so the plane is largely uninhabited, but one will find encounters with the lost and the insane, who were unable to find a way out before madness overtook them; a few demons , slaadi , and unfortunate githzerai stumble their way into Pandemonium from Limbo or the Abyss, and forget the way they came - The gods and powers of the multiverse use Pandemonium as their dumping ground, consigning all sorts of cursed artifacts, unkillable monsters, and terrible secrets in the twisting tunnels, hoping such things will be lost forever - The few native creatures to Pandemonium are Howler fiends, and the Howling Dragon ; both channel the maddening winds of the plane as a weapon, and both are quite insane - The Bleak Cabal has an outpost on Pandemonium, and are the only Sigil faction that willingly travels here; their philosophies of the mindless chaos of existence are reinforced by the plane - The cursed river Styx travels through some passages on Pandesmos, the plane's most merciful layer. If a body has a boat, they can ride the Styx out of Pandemonium and into the neighbouring Abyss (though that isn't much more pleasant); one touch of the Styx's waters, however, takes a creature's memory, and identity, forever Notes DISCLAIMER : This map is supposed to represent the "plane of madness," and it's not an easy one to inflict on players; it's experimental in that it is designed to be intentionally maddening... so dark and disorienting that the party quickly gets lost, and becomes unsure what direction they're going, where they've been, or where they need to travel. Some tunnels also go nearly straight up and down, as Pandemonium's gravity is relative to every cavern wall; letting players walk along the ceiling, if they wish, finding new holes or vertical tunnels they'd never consider if they were thinking horizontally. Players are meant to traverse the inside of the horseshoe-shaped caverns - if a mini ever gets on the roof of a tunnel, put them back inside. I spent a lot of time sealing the chaotic, rocky walls of the tunnels so that minis wouldn't clip through and fall out of the map, but it may still occasionally happen, and require a DM's intervention. Recommend players use the arrow keys instead of dragging the mouse to move their minis. If a mini is ever fully lost, as a last resort, there's an atmosphere block outside the map that sets lightning to default brightness - the block can be seen at an eerie purple string of light on some stone floor tiles near the portal (blue fire ring). There's a 2nd atmosphere block directly next to the portal that restores the map's darkness. I would also make it very difficult for players to brighten their surroundings with spellcasting or "magic light," as this ruins the maddening atmosphere of the plane. Have the howling winds extinguish fires and ruin the verbal casting of spells, or have the cursed, pitch-black rocks of the tunnels suck the light from their magic. At first glance, every winding passage looks the same, but there are distinct landmarks if folks look carefully. Players are meant to leave markers and think smart in order to track their progress, and make sure they're not going in circles... but this style of play isn't appropriate for every table. If you think your players will just get frustrated, I suggest not using this map at all, and consider theatre of the mind instead, to convey the maddening atmosphere of Pandemonium without pissing everyone off. Don't bother trying to brighten the map, as more light just ruins the mood and makes the dungeon look bad. Hide volumes can be switched on and off if geometry from an upper level interferes with player visibility. The portal (blue fire ring) can also be closed with a hide volume. There are several hidden treasures throughout the map, including 3 mysterious black chests at creepy altars with hooded statues; DMs might use these chests for ancient, cursed artifacts, or pieces of a portal key that might lets players escape Pandemonium. Players can also exit the dungeon by finding an underground passage connected to the River Styx, and paying the fiendish boatman for a ferry ride. Board Link Pandemonium - Pandesmos Tunnels Assets from Tales Tavern None

Phirblas Medium Humanoid, Neutral Good Hero Forge Mini Single mini, no kitbash, 1 variant below Description (From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appdendix III - 1998): “The chant says that there wasn’t always a City of Doors or a Lady of Pain. Sometime in the past, she built the city as a… well, no one knows the dark of why. But here’s what a body’s got to tumble to: It all had to come from somewhere. “Now, as any Cager knows, one of the permanent fixtures in the City of Doors is the presence of its caretakers, the dabus . But before there was a Sigil, the dabus must have come from somewhere, right? [Not necessarily; the Lady may have created them herself —ed.] “Well, here’s the dark that only I have uncovered: The Lady of Pain took some of the firblings [sic] of the ethereal Plane to her new city of Sigil. There, she altered them for her purposes to create unfailing servants — the dabus.” — from Gorad Drummerhaven’s Origin of Planar Species In any given situation, it’s usually a safe bet that planar biologist Gorad Drummerhaven’s more wrong than right, but in this case, he just may have something. Similarities do indeed exist between the phirblas and the dabus. Both are tall, gaunt humanoid races that seem to float a few inches above the ground rather than trod upon it. Both look somewhat alike, though the phirblas are lighter in color, don’t seem quite as old as the dabus, and have no horns. Both races exhibit a strong devotion to purpose. And, of course, both employ a strange (yet different) means of visual communication. Mildly telepathic, the phirblas project their words as written script in the language of the intended recipient. The words appear very quickly in the air above the phirblas, and only about 10 words are visible at a time, so anyone who wants to communicate with one of these humanoids must be able to read very fast. Illiterate barks can’t understand them at all. It’s not entirely correct to say that the phirblas are from the Ethereal Plane. Rather, they hail from a demiplane they call Inphirblau, a city-realm filled with tall towers elegantly carved and shaped from living stone. Chant says that Inphirblau is one or the oldest of the demiplanes, though no one knows if the phirblas created it themselves or simply took up residence there. Combat: The phirblas are not a combative or aggressive folk. If need be, a few of their number take up ornately decorated arms and armor. Most of the time, these warriors wield a two-handed sword (which causes 1d10 points of damage) or a long spear (which causes 1d6 points), and they wear plate mail (improving their AC from 8 to 1). Unarmed phirblas, if forced into a fight, bash opponents with their bare fists (causing 1d4+1 points of damage). Truth is, they pack a mighty punch, which often surprises barks caught on the receiving end — for some reason, many folks jump to the conclusion that the creatures aren’t very tough. Phirblas also possess a few innate spell-like powers. At will, they can use their telepathic ability to duplicate the effects of an ESP spell. Three times each day, they can create such a dizzying array of words with their “speech” that it acts as a hypnotic pattern . And, once per day, they can use those words to make a suggestion . (Note that the hypnotic pattern and suggestion powers work only on foes that can read and are never used on other phirblas.) Heat- and cold-based attacks inflict only half the usual amount of damage on a phirblas, and disease and poison do them no harm. They’re also immune to charms, suggestions, and any other type of control based on verbal commands. Some berks might think this is because the phirblas’re deaf, but that’s not the case. Despite their strange mode of communication, they can hear just fine. Habitat/Society: Ancient even by planar standards, the phirblas boast a complicated and intricate society. They follow no clear-cut leader; instead, each individual has some degree of authority in one area or another. Even more confusing to outsiders, however, is the fact that the hierarchy of control isn’t rigid, but extremely flexible and fluid. Apparently, only the phirblas themselves can truly tumble to who’s supposed to do what for whom, and who can tell whom to do what in which situation. The demiplane called Inphirblau is difficult to find. It’s a huge city that seems to go on forever once a body’s found his way in. Millions of phirblas live in the burg, yet somehow they all seem to know each other. The communicative style of the phirblas’ speech indicates emphasis, emotion, and intent. Formal, elegantly flowing script is used in important matters, while simple lettering indicates a casual attitude. Quick, messy, hard-to-read wording implies that the phirblas is in a hurry or has no real desire to communicate. Slow, shaky script probably means that the speaker is distraught. Ecology: The herbivorous phirblas eat plants and roots prepared in complicated hot and cold dishes. Members of their society who’re designated as cooks work many days in advance to prepare each intricate meal. The plants grow in small herbariums located throughout the city that fills their demiplane. The phirblas don’t age or get sick, they hardly ever fall victim to serious accidents, and they never use violence against each other. Hence, phirblas rarely die. Most have no fear of the deadbook, as it seems so distant and unreal to them (thus, many outsiders consider the phirblas quite naive). Existing without the distinctions of gender, they produce asexually in a manner that’s not fully understood. Due to the low death rate, little reproduction ever occurs. But when it does, new phirblas are “born” fully grown, apparently with the memories and knowledge of the parent. Despite how loudly some so-called scholars rattle their bone-boxes, no relationship between the phirblas and the dabus of Sigil has ever been proven. Among biologists development and racial experts (a disagreeable bunch of graybeards if there ever was one), this is a hotly contested issue. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Ethereal Plane Stat Block 5th Edition: - None (buff Dabus stat block) 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Projects words as written script above their heads to communicate - Levitation/flight - Surprising strength - Innate spellcasting - Telepathy - Immune to poison, disease, charm, and enchantment magic - Resistant to fire and old damage - Does not age Appearance Similarities do indeed exist between the phirblas and the dabus. Both are tall, gaunt humanoid races that seem to float a few inches above the ground rather than trod upon it. Both look somewhat alike, though the phirblas are lighter in color, don’t seem quite as old as the dabus, and have no horns. Both races exhibit a strong devotion to purpose. And, of course, both employ a strange (yet different) means of visual communication. Size Hero Forge: 8 ft. (no kitbash) Lore: Medium (6 ft. tall) Suggested: Medium Other Monikers Protodabus Sources - Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appdendix III (1998) - mojobob's website

Ooze Sprite Medium Ooze, Neutral Hero Forge Mini Single mini, no kitbash, 1 variant below Description (From Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appdendix III - 1998): Now here’s a misnamed creature. There’s nothing less spritely than this pile of ooze and muck. Little more than a heap of goo in appearance, the ooze sprite nevertheless possesses abilities and properties that distinguish it from other natives of the plane of Ooze. When asked about ooze sprites, a sage in Sigil (who wished to remain nameless) stated: “These deceptive creatures rarely make their presence known. Their insidious nature reflects their quiet mastery of all things that occur around them. They may be behind everything that occurs on the entire plane — and possibly beyond. Who knows how far their influence has spread? Who knows what — or who — else they control? My advice? Watch out.” While such chant sounds like the paranoid screed of an unstable barmy, it is important for a planewalker to remember that these creatures are much more than they just appear. They are intelligent, well organized, difficult to combat, and potent in their ability to control the minds of others. Ooze sprites do not speak, but communicate with each other through the standard mode of ooze sprite conversation: sign language. By manipulating their pseudopods and body shape, the creatures are able to convey complex ideas to those who understand. Combat: The ooze sprite is an animate bit of protoplasm able to shift its form to virtually any shape. Thus, it is capable of seeping through small openings and conforming to any shape imposed upon the sprite by its surroundings without harm (that is to say, it can’t be crushed, cut, pierced, or seized). Fact is, a sprite is so malleable that blows from weapons can’t harm it. Even magical weapons inflict damage only according to their enchantment (a +1 weapon inflicts 1 point of damage, a +2 weapon inflicts 2 points of damage, and so on). In its natural environment or any similar ooze- or slime-filled area, the creature can hide with 95% efficiency, subtracting 2 from its opponents’ surprise rolls. Ooze sprites have an innate power of suggestion , although the commands given aren’t transferred by voice, but by touch. They secrete a special substance that — when placed on the flesh of another creature — allows the sprites to send commands directly to the brain of their chosen victim. They must first make an attack roll to touch the chosen victim, who then may make a saving throw versus spell to resist the suggestion . The ooze sprites can use this ability on any being with an Intelligence of 1 or better, and the effects last only an hour. Thus, commands are usually short and very simple, such as “come here and let me devour you” or “go away”. Habitat/Society: Ooze sprite society is surprisingly complex. The creatures organize themselves into little tribes, which roam nomadically about the plane of Ooze. Each tribe has a chieftain chosen through a process that is a combination of rotation and election; most ooze sprites have the chance to become a chieftain, at least for a while. Once every six Sigil years (approximately), all the current chieftains gather in a council to choose one of their number to be king. Each ooze sprite pays homage to the king by donating a potent chemical from its own body. This king, thus empowered, becomes a massive creature of 10 HD that then travels the plane, hunting its own kind and culling the weak. This self-destructive cycle keeps their population small, yet each individual strong. Ooze sprites reproduce when each member of the tribe contributes a small portion of its own mass and intelligence to a new offspring created by the group as a whole. The entire tribe then acts as a family unit to raise the young creature, which matures very, very rapidly — due in part to the fact that it directly inherits some knowledge and ability from those creatures that sired it. The ooze sprites use their power to control the minds of others as a matter of course. They don’t look upon it as “evil” or “manipulative”, though most of their victims would certainly claim otherwise. Rather, the ooze sprites use other beings to accomplish various tasks. (Other creatures are merely tools or food for the ooze sprites, so therefore using them cannot be evil.) For example, the ooze mephits , a common target of ooze sprite manipulations, are used to carry sign-language messages to other tribes. Occasionally, they are even used as a means of transportation should a sprite need to get somewhere quickly. Since ooze sprites don’t recognize that other creatures may possess intelligence equal to (or greater than) theirs, they never use their suggestive capabilities to cause a body to do something requiring initiative or intelligence. Ooze sprites never cause their victims to say anything, for they don’t realize that verbal communication is possible. Ecology: The origin of this creature plagues many sages and scholars. Most graybeards don’t apply concepts like natural evolution to the Inner Planes, particularly given odd environments like the plane of Ooze. It seems unlikely that creatures such as the ooze sprites might arise spontaneously from the muck. It also seems unlikely that they were intentionally created by an outside force — unless that force also failed to recognize the intelligence of those around it. Most scholars believe the ooze sprites to be the accidental result of a magical experiment gone awry — although the bloods admit that they always use that same explanation when they have no real idea regarding a creature’s origins. Ooze sprites feed on tiny creatures native to the plane, ranging from nearly microscopic organisms to worms and grubs that live in the mire. Mr. Slur Chant has it that an ooze sprite was brought to Sigil, the City of Doors, where bashers taught it of the existence of other intelligent races, other planes, and more. This creature was even given a magical charm that allowed it to speak (albeit slowly and gutturally). Called Slurgosith originally, the anomalous creature worked its way into and up through the ranks of the Cage’s criminal underground, using its abilities to control the minds of others. It adopted a humanoid shape — a short, fat man with no hair and greasy skin — and the name Mr. Slur. Mr. Slur is now said to be the head of a vast criminal organization. If the dark of its real motives goes beyond that (and it probably does), no one knows for sure how far. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze Stat Block 2nd Edition: - mojobob's website Abilities - Hypnotic ooze: physical contact with ooze makes a creature obey - Can change form to any shape - Can seep through small openings - Immune to nonmagical physical attacks and grapples - Resistant to magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attacks Appearance The ooze sprite is an animate bit of protoplasm able to shift its form to virtually any shape. Size Hero Forge: 5 ft. (no kitbash) Lore: Medium (5-6 ft. long) Suggested: Medium Other Monikers None Sources - Planescape: Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998) - mojobob's website

Phiuhl Large Fiend, Neutral Evil Hero Forge Mini Kitbashed, single mini Description (From Planescape: Planes of Conflict Monstrous Supplement - 1995): Dark and horrible is the realm of Gehenna, where the only source of light is the magma from the spewing volcanoes, and scalding heat and acidic condensation fill the air. From these horrible conditions, the phiuhl is born. It is a creature of misery, pain, hunger, sweltering heat, and poisonous vapors. Known to the yugoloths as vaporous horrors and to the linquas as lingering deaths , phiuhls are horribly powerful and terrifyingly ruthless creatures. They appear as tall columns of steam and deadly green and violet vapors, swirling and churning yet retaining the basic shape of a humanoid creature. Long, vaporous arms reach out towards their foes, and dreadful black pits stare outward from what passes for a head. The phiuhls serve no power, nor do they ally themselves with the other beings of Gehenna. The yugoloths wonder at their existence, and many arcanaloths and ultroloths attempt to capture the creatures to study them and discover their origins and nature. These examinations have always proved futile, as have the attempts made by the baatezu and tanar’ri to recruit or conscript them into their armies. No known force, diplomacy, or spell has even been known to control or influence the phiuhl, at least not for very long. A cambion sorcerer named Rgillyth once attempted to use an ESP spell to determine the nature of the phiuhl once and for all. Before he passed completely into utterly incomprehensible insanity, he muttered a few understandable phrases regarding “undead lords of brass”, “spirits or long-dead wind dukes”, and a “melded prison of steam”. Combat: The mere presence of a phiuhl is a threat to most nonnatives of Gehenna. Those susceptible to poisonous gases and noxious fumes who have the unfortunate fate to find themselves within 50 feet of one of the creatures must make a saving throw each round or pass out from the insufferable vapors that comprise the creature. Victims falling prey to these gases die in 2d4 rounds. As one gets closer to the phiuhl, things get worse. These creatures of steam radiate a great deal of heat. All characters vulnerable to heat take 1d6 points of damage if within 10 feet of the monster. No saving throw is allowed to resist or avoid this heat, although rings of fire resistance and the like protect the wearer. Once a berk is actually engaged in melee with the phiuhl, things get truly horrific. In battle, it stretches out its misty arms to swipe at its foes. These steamy fists inflict 1d10 points of damage with each blow. This damage is mostly heat based, so creatures resistant to heat lake no damage but must face the other effects of the phiuhl’s attack. Those struck by both of the phiuhl’s arms are pulled into its vaporours mass and held there. Trapped victims automatically take damage from the creature’s heat (as if struck by both arms, 2d10 points of damage, and 1d6 more from simply being within 10 feet) and the phiuhl drains an experience level per round as it begins to feed upon the character’s life force. In order to escape, a victim must make a bend bars/lift gates roll, or the phiuhl must be slain. Phiuhls are immune to heat, fire, poison, and acid, and take only half damage from lightning-based attacks. Magical weapons of an enchantment equal to at least +2 are required to harm them. All other objects simply pass through their steamy form. Although they have a 25% resistance to magic, all spells influencing or dealing with the mind are resisted 50% of the time. Apparently, whatever a phiuhl is, its mind is an alien, almost unknowable thing. So alien, in fact, that if contact is made with a phiuhl through ESP or some other sort of telepathy, the unfortunate character must make a saving throw versus death magic or be rendered completely insane, unable to process or comprehend what he has discovered. Despite these magical resistances, a few spells are particularly useful when combating a phiuhl. Wind wall holds a phiuhl at bay, and a gust of wind inflicts 3d6 points of damage upon the creature. Spells which obviously affect a normal, living, corporeal creature, such as hold monster , slow , finger of death , and Bigby’s grasping hand have no effect upon a phiuhl. Spells of a controlling nature such as charm monster and domination only last half as long as normal, even if they are successfully cast past the barrier of the creature’s magic resistance. Despite rumors claiming that these creatures are some form of undead elemental, no priest has ever been able to successfully turn a phiuhl. Habitat/Society: The phiuhl lives in the heat and steam generated throughout Gehenna’s ghastly furnaces. They are most common in Khalas and Chamada, though they travel even to Mungoth in search of prey if they must. Normally these beings are encountered in pairs. They act with coordination, usually trapping their prey between them as they move in for the kill. Once in a while, two pairs work as teams of two. Such bands are thankfully rare, but still something to be feared. Sometimes, however, a single phiuhl is found wandering one of the volcanoes. These are usually vaporous horrors that have somehow lost their companion. Such lone phiuhls begin to lose their cohesion after many years (suggesting that the paired structure of their “society” plays some vital part in their very existence). These individuals have only half as many Hit Dice, inflict only half as much damage, and saving throws versus their poisonous gases receive a +3 bonus. Rarest of all is if three of the creatures are encountered. The third member will be a special phiuhl sometimes referred to as a “harvester of flame”. These phiuhls have far less concentrations of noxious fumes and a greater center of heat. They appear as red-tinged humanoids of steam, slightly smaller than a standard phiuhl (sometimes a circular sphere of red-white heat can be seen in their chests). A harvester has no radius of poison gas around it, but it inflictes twice as much heat damage to those around it (2d6), as well as those struck by its limbs (2d10). Further, it can project gouts of steam up to 150 feet that inflict 6d6 points of damage to any target struck (a successful saving throw versus spell indicates half damage). Even creatures that are immune to flame and heat take half damage from the harvester’s attacks, and those with some degree of resistance short of immunity take full damage. These red harvesters work with the other, normal phiuhls to destroy their foes more quickly. The normal phiuhls then move in to absorb the fallen prey’s life essence. Without exception, these special individuals are only encountered in the company or two other “normal” phiuhls, and such threesomes are very rare. Ecology: Anything alive is seen as a source of nourishment by the phiuhls. Some of the more powerful creatures of the Lower Planes (such as baatezu, yugoloths, and tanar’ri) are less susceptible to the Phiuhls’ attacks than other creatures, but they still fear them for their energy draining abilities and their resistance to controlling attempts. The harvesters of flame are feared by anything with any intelligence at all. Night hags have occasionally been able to strike short-term bargains with a pair of phiuhls, offering them larvae to devour in exchange for simple things such as safe passage or small favors (“Detain those nasty gehreleths that are following me, will you, dearies…”). Lone steam mephits have been known to be found in the company of phiuhls as well. The mephit works in conjunction with the vaporous horrors, although it is possible that the phiuhls don’t even know that the mephit is there. More likely, the phiuhls ignore the mephit as a harmless carrion feeder that helps them destroy their prey and then does what it wishes with any treasure found — something the phiuhls care nothing for. Alternate Versions Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Home Plane Gehenna Stat Block 5th Edition: - None 3rd Edition: - Realmshelps.net 2nd Edition: - Planescape: Planes of Conflict Monstrous Supplement (1995) - mojobob's website Abilities - Can knock unconscious (and quickly kill) breathing creatures from 50 feet - Fire damage aura from 10 feet - Poison/fire based arm attacks can grapple creatures - Feeds upon life force of grappled creatures - Immune to fire, poison, acid, and nonmagical attacks - Lightning resistance - Magic and charm resistance - Anyone attempting telepathy with Phiuhl may be driven mad Appearance They appear as tall columns of steam and deadly green and violet vapors, swirling and churning yet retaining the basic shape of a humanoid creature. Long, vaporous arms reach out towards their foes, and dreadful black pits stare outward from what passes for a head. Size Hero Forge: 9 ft. (kitbashed) Lore: Large (10 ft. tall) Suggested: Large to Huge Other Monikers None Sources - Planescape: Planes of Conflict Monstrous Supplement (1995) - mojobob's website